Lamp attachment



J. M. RUSCHELL LAMP ATTACHMENT Dec. 2, 1958 Filed Dec. 12, 1956 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS 2,863,039 LAMP ATTACHMENT John M. Ruschell, Clairton, Pa., assignor to The Ruschell Lens Company, Inc., Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application December 12, 1956, Serial No. 627,906 Claims. (21. 240-4631)" This invention relates to a novel and effective lens attachment adapted to be applied to any suitable source of beamed light.

In the form illustrated in the drawing, the invention is I 7 such as silver, indicated at 36, and an upper convex wall shown to consist of an attachment applied to a headlight of a motor vehicle of the conventional sealed beam type common to modern motor vehicles. It will be understood that the invention is equally applicable to other sources of illumination such as searchlights, flashlights, beacons, motion picture projectors, etc. The means for applying the attachment to such various light sources may be modified without departing from the scope of the invention.

The device is characterized by a cylindrical housing adapted to be mounted over the light source in question, there being an external circular window in the housing in register with the lens of the light source, the former being smaller in diameter than the latter. The inner walls of the housing are formed of polished or silvered metal to afford optimum reflecting qualities. Mounted toward the rear of the housing so as to be inregister with the lens of the light source, is provided what may be termed a light-deflecting lens featuredby a plurality of light-deflect .ing slats or shutters secured angularly thereto. The arrangement of these elements is such that no directly beamed light is allowed to pass from the light source through the external window.

Although very simple in construction the invention performs with great efliciency, as has been demonstrated by numerous tests under severe conditions in accumulations of heavy fog and dust at night.

In the drawing:

Fig. l is a side elevation, partly in section, of the attachment forming the invention shown as affixed to the front headlamp of an automobile; and

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the slatted lens, partially in section.

In Fig. 1 the headlight-carrying portion of an automobile mudguard 10 is shown, containing in the usual orifice a headlight 11 of the sealed-beam type having a. lamp 12, reflector 13 and lens 14. The mudguard 10, of a conventional type shown by way of illustration, has an annular rim 15 forming the orifice in which headlight 11 is contained, rim 15 being normally covered over for ornamental purposes by a trim ring which may be removed to facilitate the installation of the invention.

The attachment consists of a cylindrical housing identified at 16 having an annular rear shoulder 17 formed to fit over the mudguard rim 15. Any suitable attaching means may be employed. In Fig. 1 use is made of the holes in the top and bottom of rim 15 for the attachment of the aforesaid trim ring which has been removed. A pin 18 carried by shoulder 17 fits into the upper of these holes and a locking bolt 26 engages the lower hole. The housing 16 is formed of polished metal inner walls so that the surface 19 shall have good reflecting characteristics.

Patented Dec. 2, 1958 I The forward end of housing 16 is sealed by a discshaped metallic cover member 20 removably attached thereto, as by means of an upper pin 21 carried on the shoulder 22 ofv cover 20, and fitting a hole drilled in the upper lip of housing 16, and by a lower locking bolt 27 engaging a similar hole in the lower lip of housing 16.

A centrally disposed circular aperture 23 is formed in cover 20, aperture 23 being shaped in the manner shown to provide an annular seat 24 in which a transparent glass panel 25 may be secured by a snap ring 28.

An important feature of the invention resides in the internal lens 36 shown in section in Big. 1 and in perspective in Fig. 2. This'consists of a disc of glass which may be cast to provide a'plurality of reflecting slats, five being shown in the example, these being slats 31-32- Each of the five slabs 31-35 inclusive has a concave internal wall surface covered with a reflecting coating surface covered withan opaque coating such as black paint, indicated at37. These coatings are terminated at the tips of each slat where'the intermediate segments of the lens indicated at 39 are left transparent. ments 39 have no optical function but operate to provide a one-piece lens formed with a plurality of the slats as described, with the convex reflecting surfaces 36 protected from any mbistu 'r'ewhich may enter throughaperture 24.

The slats of lens 30 are furthermore so formed that each slat in turn takes a segment of the light emanating through window 25. At the same time the slats 3135 are so arranged with relationship to one another that subpass through lens 30 to window 25.

stantially no direct light from reflector 13 is permitted to In this respect it will be seen that the leading'or front tip of slat 31 lies in the same horizontal plane 'as' the rear tip of the next lower slat 32, and that the same holds true of the-relationship of the front and rear tips of the successive slats below. At the same time it will also be seen that each successive slatis pitched at a diminishing angle from top tobottom so that each functions as efficiently as possible as a reflector of the light source, which is casting its principal beams in a horizontal direction from the reflector 13.

Lens 30 is preferably mounted toward the rear of housing 16 in register with'lamp 14, leaving a substantial proportion of the interior 'of the housing 16 carrying the reflecting surfaces 19 exposed to the reflected beams coming from the slats 3135. A suitable means-for mounting lens 30 in housing 16 is shown to consist of forming a tapered annular shoulder 40 in the housingand clamp ing lens 30 against it by a snap ring 41. e

The lens 30 may be formed in various ways without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, instead of being molded in one piece, a circular panel of transparent glass could be provided to which reflecting slats could be cemented to accomplish the same results. The slats do not have to be horizontally disposed as long as they perform the stated function of deflecting the light source onto the housing walls. In place of the silver and opaque coatings 36 and 37, a mirror coating can be substituted. Other variations will occur to those skilled in the art. v

The device described above provides a highly difiused light emanating from window 25.

What is claimed is:

l. A device of the type described, including, in combination, a source of projected beams of light, an elongated housing enclosing said light source and extending from it in parallel relationship to the direction of focus Thesegsaid inner reflecting'surfaces "of saidh end closure and reflect them onto said inner surfaces of said housing.

of said light beams, the outer end of said housing having .an end closure including transparent means for the egress of light from the housing, the inner periphery of said housing being uniformlyjprovided with a light reflecting :s'urf'ac'e' area, and a lens mounted in said housingrelatively a'djacentjsaid source of light and relatively remote :flOlTl said end closure leaving a. substantial "area of j light i'eflecting' 'surface' area between said lens,and,'s aidffe'nd beams directed at said end closure and reflect themflonto ousing.

2. A device of the type described, including, in combination, a source of projectedlbeams of light, an elon- ;gatediho'us ing enclosingsaid' light source and extending from it in parallel 'relationiship 'to the direction of focus of said light beams, the outer end of said housing having an end closure formed of an opaque disc carrying a transparent member at its center providing a means for r the egress of light less than the diameter of said housing,

the inner periphery of said housing being uniformly provided with a light reflecting surface area, and a lens mounted in'said housing relatively adjacent said source of light and'relatively remote from said end closure 7 leaving a substantial area of light reflecting surface area end closure, said lens being composed of a plurality of overlapping opaque slats extending across the entire inner diameter of the housing, the sides of said slats facing the source of light being provided with uniform reflecting surfaces, the inner reflecting edge of each successive slat being located in the same plane with respect to the direction of focus of the light beams as the outer reflecting edge ,ofthe adjacent overlapping slat, thereby preventing direct passage of light beams through said end closure.

4.- The device according to claim 3, wherein each successive overlapping flap from the bottom to the top of a i1 h 0 l1S 1I1g'l$ pitched at a greater angle with respect to the line of focusot the light beams.

5. A deviceof the type described, including, in combination, a source of projected beams of light focused in a common direction by means of a parabolic reflector mountedaround saidlightsource, an elongated cylindrical housing the-inner'end of which is mounted to enclose said reflector and to extend from it in parallel relationshiptothedine-of focus'of said light beams, said housing terminating in an end-closure of an opaque disc carrying a transparent memberat its center, the inner periphery of said housing being unifo rmly provided with a light reflecti ngsurface area, and a lens mounted in the housing at rightangles to the direction of focus of said light between said lens and said end closure, said lens being composed of a plurality of slats having innerreflecting surfaces, said slats being placed in overlappedposition and at suflicient angles with respect'to said light beams to intercept substantially all light beams directed atsaid reflecting 3. A device of the type described, including, in combination, a source, of projected beams of light, an elongated housing enclosing said light source and extending of said light beams, the outer end of said housing having an endclosure including transparentmeans for the egress motefrom said end closure leaving a substantial area of light reflecting surface area between said lens and said beams, said lens being spaced from said end closure ,to

leave a substantial proportion of said light reflecting surl tace area betweemsaid lensand said end closure, said lens being composed of a plurality of overlapping re- ,flectingslats set at angles adjusted to divert said light .beams. onto said light reflecting surface area of said housing, the degree, of overlap of said slats ,being ad- ,justed to prevent direct, passage of said light beams from from it in parallel relationship to the direction of focus a lsaid 1ight source through, said transparent, member.

., References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,106,776 -Burcky Aug. 11, 1914 1,470,448 Johnson et a1. Oct. 9, 1923 1,643,086 Pike et a1. Sept. 20, 1927 1,811,988 Whitternore June 30, 1931 1,881,329 Seaberg Oct. 4, 1932 2,119,370 Van Leunen May 31, 1938 

